In Japanese, “Mon” means a metaphorical gate. Its exit and entrance is attached with the philosophical message of change, rebirth, and enlightenment. When a person goes through the gate, that person correspondingly parts with his previous self and experiences a certain kind of spiritual enlightenment. The symbol of “Mon” is frequently used in modern Japanese cinema and is well-accepted by the Western audience. For instance, Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Jigokumon in 1953 dazzled both the Western cinematic authorities in the Oscar and in the Cannes, using the concept of “Mon” to elevate the movie to a new philosophical height. Even though Jigokumon marked the success of the introduction of East Asian cinema into the world cinematic space by winning the Palm d’Or at the Cannes movie festival and other awards, the movie’s value remains to be questioned. In fact, Kinugasa presents a rather superficial depiction of the classical Japanese society.
The superficiality can be seen from Kinugasa’s conformation to a Westernized image of Japan. Western impressions of Japan are fully utilized in the both the musical score and the aesthetics of the movie. The traditional Japanese music, such as the grand background music at the start and the end of Jigokumon together with the accompaniment of the biwa music in the middle, helps evoke a classical and unique Asian cultural atmosphere. The beautiful cinematography, skillfully applied by Kinugasa’s regular cameraman Kohei Sugiyama, caters to the voyeuristic pleasure of the Western audience who wants know more about the history of this advanced East Asian country but lacks the opportunity of traveling in Japan. By incorporating the eastern codec color, the delicately designed Japanese costumes and make-up make the characters look like people who are directly taken from a standard Japanese yamato-e, from which a number of Western art forms purport to draw inspiration. Together with some unique, but rather stereotypical Asian aesthetics, all the aesthetic and musical depictions in the movie correspond to the Western preconceived notion of a classical Japanese society.
The lack of a strong and unifying plot adds to the level of the movie’s superficiality. The first thing that makes evident the weakness of the plot is the disconnection between the war scene, which takes a large part at the beginning (20 minutes out of the 80-minute movie), and the romance, which is supposed to be the major theme in the movie. Since the historical background does not directly contribute to the progression of romance between Kesa and Morito, it should be cut off a little bit (for instance, the duel scene between Morito and the Taira traitor) in order to present its main theme more efficiently while keeping the essential information (such as Kiyomori granting the right to Morito to do whatever he wants). Moreover, the director does not focus enough on the hints that indicate what will happen next. The movie needs to be re-examined to figure out why the ending does not come off as abnormal. It will be less confusing if the audience takes note that Kesa gives her stuff to her servant before she is killed by Morito, and that Kesa sacrificed herself to be the princess, which is the same kind of loyalty motivating her to sacrifice herself for her husband.
In addition, the movie’s failure to delve in-depth the ethics of Japanese culture indicates the director’s inattention to developing the moralistic message behind the movie, further exposing the movie’s superficiality. For example, even though the movie does touch upon women’s loyalty to husbands, it assumes it as an intrinsic trait of women and does not illustrate what causes their loyalty. Characters are reduced to the corresponding stereotypes of communities of people within the traditional Japanese society. Samurais like the uncultured Morito are supposed to have boorish conduct, and women like Kesa are supposed to be reserved, pious and loyal. This portrayal significantly decreases the space of development of the complicated psychologies that undergo within the characters as the plot progresses to its climax of Kesa’s death.
However, using the similar symbol of “Mon”, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon is more prepared than Jigokumon at capturing the moral dilemma that is not only unique to Japanese people, but also universal to the humanity itself. Without a unifying plot and a deep analysis of Japanese culture, how can the superficial Jigokumon win favor from the academies? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Cannes committee and the Western cinematic authorities had not seen so many East Asian movies at that time.
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